ID
by Keajo
Summary: Spider-man is hurt and Jamison is the only one around to help. What's going to happen now? Will Jamison help? Will Peter be able to keep his mask? Read and find out. Sorry bad summery. Please read and review. Rated T for a little language/bit of blood.
1. Chapter 1: Behind These Hazel Eyes

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Note**: I am partial to the Ultimate Spider-man series of comic books and most of my Spiderman knowledge comes from there so I guess what I'm getting at is this Fanfic is in that 'Verse' if you feel the need for it to be assigned to one… **but** anyone who hasn't read any of those comics can still understand what's going on pretty easily… I mean, when you get down to it, the base line for the Spiderman story is the same: Peter bit by 'special' spider, tries making a bit of cash with powers in wrestling, Uncle Ben dies and changes things, Peter becomes Spiderman (and he also gets a job at the Bugle [first for photographs of spiderman and later to help out with web technical stuff - one of the differences] under  
Jameson who doesn't really like Spiderman, etc… The one thing I do want to state for this fanfic is Peter is in highschool (changes in age are what I find to be one of the most common differences between Spiderman stories)… Well that's about it. I hope you like this little fanfic and please review when you are done reading – Keajo.

**Title:** ID

**Chapter 1:** Behind These Hazel Eyes

"Jameson! That is not something you joke about."

Surprised at the harsh tone emanating from the normally quiet teenager, the editor turned, ready with a frosty remark, but the words never left his tongue. His anger melted away as the older man glimpsed the eyes of the child standing defensively in front of his desk. In that moment, Jameson saw something in those brown, no... hazel eyes he had not expected to see in one so young. A look he had only seen before in war vets and those who had been through extreme trauma. Jonah realized then that this boy had seen much more hurt and suffering then any one person should, though he could not understand how or why. Sure the kid had lost family, but hasn't everyone? Other then that Jameson couldn't really think of anything else extra-ordinary about his young freelance photographer's life. What gave Parker's eye that gleam of one who had seen so much of the darker side of life? The editor saw his reflection shining back at him in those eyes and noticed with awe that, for an instant, the person looking back at him was not a boy anymore, but a man. Jameson wondered at how, after working with this teenager for more then two year, he had missed this side of Peter Parker? How old was Parker anyway? 16? 18? There is no way a boy that young should have piercing eyes like that. Jameson found he couldn't remember Parker's exact age other then 'teenager' and that fact saddened him a bit, though he would never admit it. The editor of the Bugle had grown quite fond of his freelance photographer even though the boy seemed to be on good terms with the Spider. Looking back to those hard hazel eyes Jameson found himself wondering; when did this scrawny kid get so tough? Not knowing it, Jameson would find out the answers to his questions later that night, although when the time came he would no longer wish to know…

---

"Get down!"

The shout came preceding a blur of red and blue. Ducking as the figure of Spiderman flew over his head to tackle an adversary, Jameson couldn't help wondering how he had gotten into this mess. It had been a normal evening up until the moment he found himself hiding on a roof in the middle of a fight between the web-head and the costumed freak the media had dubbed Rhino, but what could he say. A scoop was a scoop.

The sounds of the fight continued in the background of Jameson's thoughts. He looked over to see Spidey land a particularly good hit on Rhino's jaw. If he didn't know better the editor would have thought the masked menace would have made a good ring fighter. _Oh wait_, thought Jameson sarcastically, _He's already tried that_.

The fight seemed to be almost over with the Spider looking like he would come out on top. _Thank the lord_ Jameson found himself thinking before he could stop himself. _Great! Now I'm cheering for him. Can this day get any worse_? The editor of the Bugle fumed. This incident was definitely not good for his blood pressure.

The Rhino managed to get in a solid hit sending Spiderman flying backward. He crashed into a wall leaving it in rubble but a beat later was up again dusting off his costume. "Hey watch it. These threads don't come off the rack you know."

The cocky voice issued from under the red mask making Jameson cringe. _Where the hell did he get those quips from? They were just so annoying_. Everything about the Spider was annoying. The costumed hero just rubbed Jonah the wrong way.

Rhino angrily charged at Spiderman, but ended up crashing head first into the remains of the wall as the Spider leaped up into the air gracefully to twist and land perfectly on Rhino's back. "How you doing down there? You don't look so well." Which was the truth. After running head first into a mostly solid concrete wall, Rhino didn't look well at all, but he still had a little fight left in him.

As the villain shook his head to clear the stars circling his vision, his opponent crouched on his back and patted his shoulder. "Awe poor Rhiny. I'm sure we could schedule to continue this at a later date."

"You're so dead." Rhino twisted and swiped his arm at his annoying little adversary, but to no avail. The Spider was too quick. Sensing the danger, he jumped at the last moment and gave an infuriating laugh as he flew through the air to again land perfectly a little ways away. "Aw the poor little Rhino can't even hit something when it right on top of him."

Practically done for but, blind rage spurring him on, the larger man grunted before charging at the closest person he could find: Jameson.

"No, Jameson!"

The editor had no time to act before the villain was bearing down on him. Jameson was knocked aside an instant before he would have been trampled by a blur of red and blue. He fell to the ground as he herd Rhino run into another wall. There was another noise from somewhere in the background; a pained gasp, but it was drowned out by Rhino's crash.

From where the editor had fallen he leaned over cautiously to look toward where the Rhino had gone down, finding that the man had knocked himself unconscious. _Good riddens._

The editor threw his now crushed cigar away with a curse. Picking himself off the ground, Jameson brushed the dust off his suit only to find one sleeve had a long rip in it. _So much for this tux_, he thought grimly. _I wonder if I can sue._

Dropping the sleeve disgustedly Jameson raised his head to look around only to find himself alone on the roof besides the big unconscious lug in the corner. _Where is that masked menace anyway?_ the editor wondered surveying the scene with a critical eye._ Right about now he should be gloating or something_.

It was then a moan sounding from somewhere succeeded by a series of pain filled gasps, chilling Jameson's blood. Oh no… _Had someone else been up on the roof and gotten hurt?_ _Damn the Spider always getting into fights that end up getting normal people hurt. _

Frantically the editor tried to locate the source. It took a moment searching through the rubble to find what he was looking for, but when he did he froze. The sight shocking him speechless.

TBC…

Thank you all for reading. I hope this first chapter of this fanfiction has managed to peek your interest at least a little. The competition out there for readers in the Spiderman fanfic community seems to be pretty intense and so I really appreciate your stopping by. Seriously, there are simply so many Spiderman fanfics out there... it's amazing… Anyway, this is my first attempt at a Spidy-fic and I hope it was satisfactory… I would really appreciate some reviews and feedback especially since this is my first piece. It only takes a second and it's really helpful, inspiring, and just plain really fun for me to receive… all I do ask is please don't flame for no reason. I am totally open to constructive criticism/feedback, but there is a reason the word constrictive is before the word criticism… whining 'just because' is not wanted. I also want to note that my Spidy base is not that extensive… I have read, as I stated before, some of the Ultimate Spider-man comics, other Spiderman comics I have managed to borrow from the library and friends, a few of the Spiderman novels, watched some of the cartoons/animes though I can't really tell you which ones and the recent-ish live Spiderman movies. If I mess something up horribly in this story, like a character way out of... well, character, I'm sorry, but I do wish to say I am trying really hard to keep this story realistic in a Spidy sort of way. Thanks again for everyone that read this and I hope to see you in the next chapter.

P.S. For a little extra fun most all of my chapter titles are inspired by songs or lyrics within a song that I generally like (although sometimes inspired by other media like popular movies etc…)

Title: "ID" is an ending song of one of my favorite animes "Saiyuki"

Chapter title: "Behind These Hazel Eyes" is sung by Kelly Clarkson


	2. Chapter 2: Just Breath

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 2**: Just Breath

"No, Jameson!" Peter lunged after the Rhino. He had to save Jameson. He had to. There was no way he was going to let another person die on his watch, but he was too far away. He wasn't going to make it!

Panic spurred Peter on, adding speed to his legs. He had to make it! No longer concerned for anything other then saving the editor's life, Peter leaped. Rhino was right there with him, bearing down on the frozen man, but Peter got there first. The teenager pushed Jameson aside, out of the way of the charging criminal, but in the end Peter was not quite quick enough.

The Rhino brought one arm sweeping around as he passed. The teenage superhero caught a glancing blow along his side as his adversary rumbled on. Peter felt his ribs creek under the blow before finding himself flying backwards through the air.

While in mid air Peter saw the larger man crash into another wall and collapse, apparently unconscious. Peter smirked under the mask. It wasn't the first time the Rhino had knocked himself unconscious. The large villain was really easy to anger and did some really stupid things when he was angry. Other then that he was a pretty smart guy. Peter dreaded the day when Rhino got control of his anger and fought with his head rather then his emotions. _I'm not sure if I would win then._

Shaking the thought out of his head, Peter cataloged his wounds before readying himself for a landing. Really, they weren't so bad. His ribs still hurt and he might have cracked one or two but besides that there were only a few bumps and bruises. _Well that wasn't so ba-_

Peter snapped to attention as his thoughts were abruptly cut off. The feeling he had dubbed his 'spider sense' was screaming at him, demanding immediate attention: danger, Danger, DANGER, get out of there.

Confused Peter scanned the surrounding area, but couldn't find anything that remotely looked like a threat. Maybe he was picking up something from Jameson, but that had never happened before so why should it now? Still flying backwards through the air, Peter started to make a list for possible reasons his spidy sense was going nuts, but he never finished.

PAIN. Peter crashed into the already devastated wall behind him, but instead of just landing in a heap of rubble, his side flared with red hot agony. He gasped out a breath then screamed despite himself as the agony overwhelmed his senses.

_Oh crap. Oh SHIT. _ _Oh – _"uunh." The pain-filled groan escaped Peter lips as his mind started to shut down out of shock. He began to panic. He couldn't get any air. It hurt to breathe. Practically unconscious, Peter focused on one thing that would keep him from going under: his breathing. As the teenager focused on the simple task, he found, after a while, he could almost think again. Almost.

Pulling himself together, Peter reached down his side with a shaky hand trying to figure out what was wrong. What had happened? One moment he had been reveling in his victory the next there was just pain. Peter's hand came in contact with an obstacle. Confused, he glanced down. His side flared again with the sudden moment. Almost crying out, Peter shut his eyes and clutched at his injured side, panting. _Oh shit. This is worse then getting shot_. Sweating under the mask and nauseated, Peter sat still where he had landed for a few seconds just concentrating on his ragged breathing and trying not to barf. His hand could feel something sticking out of his side, but he couldn't fathom what it was.

Braving another look, Peter opened his eyes and slowly turned them downward. The sight that greeted him was not pretty. There was blood slick on his hand and slowly running down his side to puddle on the ground in an ever expanding pool. Peter had seen blood before and, although it looked bad, it wasn't what worried him the most. Though his blurred vision, Peter could make out six inches of blood slick metal rebar sticking out of his side.

Exhausted, Peter laid his head back against the wall behind him, breathing heavily. He groaned as waves of agony coursed through his body with every gasp. _This is not good_.

Peter's vision was starting to double and he was woozy from the lost of blood. He was having trouble thinking through the pain. He let his eyes flutter close as he tried to gather his thoughts._ How the heck am I going to get myself out of this one? _

A noise brought Peter back to the real world, _If that's the Rhino, I'm so dead. If I'm not dead already_ his mind added with morbidly_._

When Peter finally managed to drag his eyes open again he found darkness creeping along the edges of his vision. The teenager's sides heaved with the effort to keep breathing. Peter's body was starting to feel as if it was far away, as if it wasn't his anymore and he knew that was bad, but he didn't care. He was just so tired.

Peter noticed motion before him and stained to see. He almost laughed to find Jameson standing in front of him, but that would have hurt too much. Peter couldn't make out the man's face, but he smiled blearily behind the mask. "Fancy… meeting… you here."

TBC…

Hello everyone. Here's chapter 2. Thanks a bunch for keeping with this fanfic. The idea actually came to me while I was watching one of the Spiderman movies… I can't really remember which one, but there was a ton of debris flying around and my mind just clicked into action thinking 'huh, i wonder if Spidy ever gets hurt by all that debris... especially that thing with all the pointy stuff sticking out of it' and the idea grew from there… Um I do want to say right about now that this is not, I repeat NOT a death fic. Spidy will not croak. That would just be depressing… dramatic (especially if Jamison found out The Secret and all), but depressing… In this little note I also wish to beg for a few (or a lot… that would be even better) reviews… I got a couple Fav Stories which were great to receive, but bluntly their also kind of… well… automated… It's just not the same as real feedback. So please, Please, PLEASE review. It really helps me out a lot and makes me want to write more. Thanks again - Keajo

P.S. Chapter title "Just Breath" is a lyric from the song "Breath" sung by Anna Nalick


	3. Chapter 3: Life of a Stranger

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 3:** Life of a Stranger

Jameson stood staring at the crumpled form in front of him. Blood was streaming onto the ground, mixing with the dirt and filth on the roof. The liquid shown almost black in the night as it pooled beneath the prone figure it poured from. Six inches of bloody metal stuck out of the man's side and continued through his body to pin him against the shattered concrete wall the bent rebar originally protruded from. Jameson stood there frozen knowing he could do nothing, but hope it had not pierced any vital organs. The editor knew his nemesis got hurt every once in a while, and sometimes it was even his fault, but not like this. Never like this.

A drop of blood ran lazily down the rebar, shining wetly in the dim light before dripping off the end. The editor shuttered as he looked on. The figure lay still and Jameson would have thought the Spider was dead had it not been for the sound of the wounded man painfully struggling to breath. The man behind the mask must have awakened or opened his eyes because he moved slightly. Then, in a voice no more then a whisper, he murmured, "Fancy… meeting… you here."

The strained sound of Spiderman's voice brought Jameson out of his horrified trance. "Be still" the editor said quietly kneeling next to the injured man. "I'm going to call for an ambulance. Everything's going to be okay, just lay still." The editor of the Bugle flipped open his cell phone to dial 911, but a bloody hand clamped down on the phone before he could finish. Surprised the owner of the phone looked up.

"N-no hospital. Just a… flesh wound…"

The voice sounded young, but Jameson didn't editor's sudden surprise at being stopped turned to anger. "What do you expect me to do then, huh? Just sit here and watch you die? Hell no! If your stupid secret identity is so important that you would kill yourself for it, I should just rip that silly mask off right now so you won't have to worry…"

Jameson's voice trailed off as he noticed the masked man in front of him was speaking again. The editor strained to hear the breathy whisper, the words almost lost to him; "just… call… someone else… trust…," but that was as far as the Spider got. A coughing fit racked his body causing him to seize up in pain. A whimper escaped the arachnid and Jameson, ignoring the former protest, dialed the emergency number again. The painful episode stopped while the phone was ringing leaving the injured figure gasping for air.

"P-please" he weakly entreated the editor.

"Dammit" Jameson snapped the phone shut. It was impossible to stay angry with an injured man no matter who it might be, and, although Jameson didn't want to admit it, he knew the Spider probably had good reasons for keeping his identity secret, especially if he still insisted on it when he was quite possibly dieing. The editor thought for a second before flipping the phone open once again to call his friend and coworker: Robbie.

"Hello Robbie? I need you to come down to the convention center. Yah, the one just down the road from the Bugle and bring a lot of first aid supplies… we're going to need it. No. No ambulance. I'll explain later… Just here fast. Thanks."

Hanging up Jameson sat back on his haunches with a sigh. The only sound now punctuating the night was the Spider's labored breathing. Jameson checked to see if there was anything he could do for the man while they waited for the medical supplies. Miraculously, the editor found as he inspected the wound, the bleeding had almost stopped. Maybe there was hope after all.

Finding the editor beside him, the Spider nodded slightly. "T-thanks."

Jameson nodded back. There was nothing else he could really do. "Your bleeding's stopped," he said in a matter a fact way, not wanting to give away his worry. "There's nothing else I can do until Robbie comes with the medical supplies so just hang on till then." It was a statement, not a question. No leeway to allow dieing. There was no way Jameson was going to let the Spider off that easy.

At the editor's words, the costumed man grunted and leaned his head back. He had one arm wrapped around his wound and was breathing harshly, but more steadily then before. Jameson couldn't help but feel guilty for the situation the other man was in. The Spider had got hurt saving him after all. Studying the figure beside him, Jameson started to doubt his views of the masked man. _Was he really that bad? He did, after all, risk his life to save __**you**__ of all people. Even after all the times he's been trashed in the Bugle._

_Maybe, maybe not, _Jameson finally decidedturning his thoughts away from the topic, but before he fully could, another question came to his mind._ This time… will he survive? _

Mentally shaking himself the editor distanced the dismal thought from his mind. It was not important right now. What was important was keeping the wounded man next to him alive. That came first. Misgivings and past grievances could be dealt with later. Clearing his mind of everything but the immediate crisis, Jameson settled back to wait for Robbie and the much needed medical supplies.

---

Peter felt awful, but he couldn't give up yet. He couldn't let Jameson call an ambulance. That would just cause more trouble. Luckily, the editor was pretty easy to convince. Now, Peter just sat trying to hang onto consciousness, but that was one battle he was fated to loose. As the darkness ate away at his dwindling vision he hoped he would have time to tell Aunt May and M.J. he was sorry. There was the sound of a door opening and voices, but then darkness took him and Spiderman felt no more.

TBC…

Thanks to everyone reading this. I hope you are finding this fanfic interesting. I'm actually having issues with my internet right now (AKA: it's not working) and am actually over at a friend's to get this chapter up for you guys. Please take a second to review... It would be really appreciated...

**WitchbladeHell**: Oh, thank you so much for your review!!! You're my first one and I LUV ya for it. Yay! And I know what you mean by the hero gets hurt stuff… I love it too even though it makes me sound all mean and nasty… It just is more… I don't know… realistic (?) and so many 'interesting things' can happen… hehehe. Thanks for the catch on the web designer bit… I think I mentioned something like that in my first chapter note, but, in the end, I guess I decided to use the more main stream description of photographer for Peter… just think of it as a little, tiny AU detail change… I must admit it's been a while since I have read any of the Ultimate series of Spiderman. I'm actually re-reading them now to try and catch some more details I could have forgotten… unfortunately I only have access to #1 – #39 so I'm going to have to go and stake out a few libraries and/or bookstores to find anymore… Thanks again for the review/feedback. You cannot imagine how much I appreciate it. I really hope you will continue to like this fanfic and please continue to review. It's what keep me going.

**Brooklynnx**: Um, oops (blushing furiously)… talk about a noob mistake. At least I was consistent (I went back and changed hopefully all of the Jamisons to Jamesons.) Thanks a bunch for the spelling catch.

**KenObi-Wan:** Thanks for the review. It is really appreciated. I hope you are enjoying this story even though it's a bit… well… bloody right now and I really hope to see you/hear from you again soon.

P.S. Chapter title "Life of a Stranger" sung by Nadia


	4. Chapter 4: Miss Independant

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 4:** Miss Independent

Jameson didn't have to wait long. Robbie sensing the urgency in his friend's voice had hurried over with all the medical supplies he could find within five minutes; unfortunately he met a hitch coming out of the Bugle. M.J., one of Peter's friends, who had been looking for the other teenager, had bumped into Robbie as he was leaving the building. Somehow sensing the massive amount of first aid kits Robbie was carrying had something to with Spiderman (much as Robbie himself had figured) M.J. refused to be left behind. Robbie knew Jameson was not going to be happy with this development but there was no time to argue so M.J came along.

---

Robbie was right, Jameson wasn't happy, but his temper cooled down quickly when he saw the medical supplies both Robbie and the teenage redhead were carrying. It wasn't until Robbie caught sight of the costumed hero in the corner that he understood why.

"Oh my God…" The tall black man's eyes widened as he noticed the slumped figure of the Spiderman surrounded by blood.

Jameson nodded as he saw his friend's eyes light with the horror of the scene. "She shouldn't see this."

The two men moved to block the teenager's view, but it was too late. She was already halfway across the roof before either of them noticed she was gone.

"No… NO! Please don't be dead…" The girl stumbled over the uneven roof and fell to her knees beside the fallen super hero, tears gushing from her eyes. "Peter?" she whispered, raising her shaking hand to his face. "Peter?" She called more urgently, but still quietly so the men coming up behind her wouldn't hear. M.J.'s hand fell to her injured friend's shoulder and the masked teenagergave a start and winced gasping out a breath at the pain.

Looking slowly around Peter's eyes came to land on the redheads face. "M.J.?" The words were almost too quiet to hear. M.J.'s heart broke at the weak sound.

"I'm here," she whispered wiping tears from her eyes. The fallen hero, who also was her childhood friend and sometimes boyfriend, raised a bloody hand to her face.

"You… you shouldn't be here…" Talking was obviously painful for the wounded teenager and he had to stop to catch his breath.

"Shhh, tiger." The redhead raised a finger to where his lips would be behind the mask when it looked like he would try to speak again. "You can chastise me later… right now we need to get you fixed up…"

Turning away, M.J. found Robbie and Jameson behind her sorting through the medical kits and taking out anything that could be useful. They were both glancing up ever so often and giving her strange looks. Neither of them had known she was so close to the Spider, but they accepted it in stride. Answers would have to wait for later; right now there were more important things to be done.

Jameson watched as M.J. stood to approached them. "We need to get the rebar out of him now."

The editor sighed. Now this little girl was going to turn into a know-it-all and start ordering them around and if they didn't follow her direction she was going to burst into tears and/or start whining. Jameson looked at Robbie who refused to meet his gaze and sighed again. It was a really bad idea to bring a teenager into this. "We can't. If we remove it without the right equipment he'll bleed to death and…"

The red-headed teenager impatiently cut him off. " Just shut up for a minute and listen."

Jameson was shocked speechless, something that doesn't happen very often. For a teenage girl, this chick had some balls.

"For a normal person what you were saying would be true, but he," M.J. said motioning to the Spider, "heals very fast. We need to move him or his body will heal with the metal still in it. If that happens then there will be no way to remove the rebar besides cutting it out of him, which will likely cause more damage which we can't afford." She paused for breath before continuing "his body has probably already made up at least half of the blood he has lost so now would be the ideal time to move him before the wound heals too much and causes complications."

The editor blinked. What the girl had to say actually made sense.

A breathless voice chimed in; "listen to her… she knows… what she is talking about…"

Jameson's gaze shifted over to the wounded arachnid. It took a minute for him to think of anything to say. "It'll hurt."

The man let out a strangled laugh and winced. "No… kidding…"

And that was that. Jameson took up position on the Spider's right side while Robbie took up position on the left. Not really knowing how they were going to do this, the two men finally settled for pushing evenly on their respective sides in hopes that no more damage then necessary would be caused.

"Okay… We'll start on three… one… two… THREE!"

TBC…

Wah-Hahahaha… internet liiiiiiives! I am so happy. Schools been busy… wait did I tell you guys I was in school…? Hum… can't remember… I have five ongoing fanfics going right now so I can always remember what I said in which, but anyway… I recently stated college again so updating may slow down a bit, but don't worry! I simply refuse to abandon any of my fanfictions! Thanks for reading. I've been getting bunches of hits and fav stories/story alerts which makes me happy, but I'd still really like some more reviews… Special thanks to **WitchbladeHell** and **Way Walker** for reviewing! I REALLY appreciate it you guys. Thanks a bunch. (I just hope I manage not to disappoint you too much). Thanks again – keajo

P.S. Chapter Title: "Miss Independent" sung by Kelly Clarkson


	5. Chapter 5: Scream

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 5:** Scream

Peter screamed as he felt his flesh tear. He bit his lower lip trying to hold the sound back, but the pain was overwhelming. To their credit, the two newspaper men did not stop. As quickly and steadily as they possibly could, they removed the wounded man from the rebar piercing his side. The Spider's body tensed and he whimpered as his body proceeded along the piece of metal with a sickening sucking sound. His hands were clenched into fists by the pain and one of them started to bleed as his nails dug through the material of his costume and into the flesh of his palm. Behind the mask, Peter's eyes where streaming pain-filled tears and he was sure he was going to faint, but he held on. With a final cry Spiderman was free. Barely conscious he fell limply into waiting arms, shaking uncontrollably.

---

Jameson and Robbie carried the wounded man a short distance to a clear section of the roof where M.J. had started to set up the medical supplies and laid their burden down. As the duo holding the injured man had gotten closer, Jameson noticed the redhead's eyes were filled with unshed tears. He had also seen her cringe at the sound of the Spider's screams and cries, but, in truth, the teenager had done a rather good job at keeping herself together considering the circumstances, almost as if she had done this sort of thing before. Jameson wondered…

The editor stepped back and shook his head as M.J. swarmed in with the bandages trying to stop the newly resumed bleeding. It was a mystery to him how the Spider had stayed conscious through that ordeal. Only someone with an extraordinary amount of will could have gone through that and still be aware, even barely, at the end.

Jameson bent down to help the teenage girl. "We'll need to cut off his shirt to properly bandage the wound," she said as he knelt down beside her. Jameson looked to Robbie who nodded at the silent request and turned to search the medical kits for the needed instrument.

All seemed to be going relatively well until the Spider started coughing uncontrollably. As the force of the hacking ravaged his body, blood started to leak from beneath his mask.

Confused M.J. looked her friend over trying to find out what was wrong and what she could do to help. Then, the sudden realization hit her.

"Shit. He's coughing up blood. The rebar must have gazed his lung on the way out. Get the mask off."

"Wait!" Jameson's hand snaked out to grab the girl's wrist. He could not believe he was protecting the Spider's identity.

The red-head turned her hard green eyes on him and the editor's own eyes widened in surprise. The teenager's flashing eyes gave him was the same as the look Parker's had just earlier that morning. The girl's words came out calmly but urgently. "We have to. Otherwise he could drown in his own blood."

Hearing the wisdom in the young girl's words Jameson released her hand and watched as she swiftly reached down to grasp the edge of the material. The first fit of coughing had ceased leaving the fallen hero raggedly breathing. The girl gently rolled the mask up to reveal the bloody mouth and nose of her patient. Satisfied with her work she attempted to retract her hands but another fit of coughing thwarted her. The fit forced the Spider's body to contract into a tight ball of pain. When it did so, the cloth of the mask caught on the fingers of one of M.J.'s hands and was ripped away to reveal the young, teenage face beneath.

TBC…

Hee, hee, hee… major cliffhanger. What _will _happen next?... Hope your liking and please, PLEASE review.

P.S. Chapter title: "Scream" sung by BoA


	6. Chapter 6: This Could Get Messy

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 6:** This Could Get Messy

"That's not possible." Jameson fell back onto the ground as his legs gave out in shock. A shaking hand rose to his pale face. "Not possible" He whispered again wide eyed, his sight was glued onto the bloody and sweat-streaked face of his own freelance photograph.

There was the scuffing sound of shoes behind Jameson as Robbie returned with scissors in hand. "What's wrong J.J.?" Then his eyes fell to the pale blood smeared face of the Peter Parker. There was a clang as the scissors fell to the ground. "Oh my god… Peter!"

"Damn. That wasn't supposed to happen." The two news-hound's attention turned sharply to the girl who had spoken. M.J. glared at them, challenging them to say anything, but then the defiance drained out of her. "Common," she said quietly as she turned back to tend her friend's wounded body, "we still have work to do."

---

The coughing fit had once more subsided leaving Peter breathing hard, but more steadily then before. His eyes were shut and he seemed barely aware of his surrounding, let alone what had transpired just a moment ago. _With luck_, M.J. thought to herself, _the injury to his lung had already healed_. She lowered her head sadly, _but it's going to take a lot more then luck to get out of this mess_…

The two older men work silently beside her, lost in their own thoughts as they cut away the ragged material of Peter's costume and exposed the wound. Peter groan as the last of the blood encrusted cloth was pealed away from his tender injury, but otherwise lay still.

Jameson's hand hovered for an instant over one of the many faint scars that ran along the teenager's body. It was clear that it had come from a gunshot wound. The editor's hand clenched into a fist, _how had he not noticed_? His hand then fell limp as he sighed, suddenly tired, and rubbed his eyes. It took a lot to shock J. Jonah Jameson, but today Parker had managed it. Dammit. His blood pressure really didn't need this. The editor then noticed the teenage redhead, M.J., fiddling with something around the boy's wrist, mumbling something about not needing them now. M.J. glanced up as the older man leaned in for a closer look.

"They're his web shooters," she explained as she unfastened one sliver bracelet and then the other and dropped them in her purse.

Jameson, with his reporter instincts coming in to play, was about to question the girl more, but the sound of Robbie's voice stopped him. "Um… excuse me, but dieing boy in front of us… Gadget lessons can wait till later."

Shamefully, Jameson knew his friend was right. With Robbie's prodding the three of them finished bandaging the wounded teenage superhero.

TBC…

Here's chapter 6… Hope I've still got your attention. Would really appreciate some more reviews… I crave feedback. Please, please review.

**TopazledHannah-kun****:** Thanks for 'following' me here. You have no idea how much I work to give you guys those cliffhangers… have to keep you interested somehow - hehe

P.S. Chapter title: "This Could Get Messy" lyric from the song Hands Clean sung by Alanis Morissette


	7. Chapter 7: So Tired

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 7:** So Tired

Somewhere towards the end of the operation, Peter came back to the world of the living. He had been steadily breathing easier and the color had come back into his face as the operation had continued. Blinking Peter's hazel eyes opened and focused vaguely on the small group surrounding him. Noticing he was awake, M.J. smiled. "Welcome back, Tiger."

"Glad to be back." The young man's voice was quite, but otherwise steady. He moved to try and get up but fell back again with a hiss of pain. "Okay… not a good idea," he mumbled through clenched teeth.

M.J.'s hand reached down to lie on Peter's shoulder. "Just stay still. You're hurt pretty badly."

Peter compiled with his friend's wish as she moved to help the other two clean up. Peter lay on the ground with his eyes closed simply breathing while the sounds of medical supplies being packed up continued around him. When the sounds stopped and he felt the presences of the three people who had just saved him gather around once more, Peter opened his eyes. His sight was filled with the worried faces of M.J., Robbie and, amazingly enough, Jameson, but there was something else in those faces that he couldn't quite put his finger on. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what it was.

"What are you thinking?" asked M.J., worried that something was wrong.

Peter blinked, his thoughts broken. It took him a moment to arrange a proper sentence. "I'm wondering," he started a little breathless, "why everyone looking at me so weird and… for some reason, I have a feeling I'm not going to like the answer.

"Oh… that…"M.J. held up a ragged piece of red cloth a little guiltily. "Um… I'm afraid the cats out of the bag."

Peter blinked. _What did a little scrap of cloth have to do with anything? _Then it hit him; that was his mask. Peter's eyes widened with the realization and he frantically tried to get up, but M.J. was there to push him down. He grasped at her arm still trying to move, "M.J. M.J. does anyone else know?" His voice rose in alarm. "Oh no is Aunt May okay? You know what would happen if they found out… Please _please_ tell me she's okay. I don't know what I would do if she got hurt because of me…" The rant went on.

"Peter calm down! Peter, LISTEN TO ME." M.J. yelled at the top of her lungs to get her panicked friends attention. Seeing she had succeeded the young redhead continued in a softer voice. "May's fine. Everyone's fine. No one else knows… just Robbie and… Jameson. It hasn't become public knowledge or anything. Now lay down or you're going to rip your side open again."

Reassured by her words, Peter lay back exhausted after his outburst and let his eyes flutter shut. He was breathing roughly and looked flushed. M.J. quickly raised a hand to check Peter's forehead and was not happy to find her friend was running a slight fever.

Jameson tried to arrange his thoughts to adapt to this new and very shocking development, but didn't have time to reflect on the scene he had just witness because at that very moment, a groan issued from where the forgotten Rhino had fallen earlier startling the group. Jameson frowned, "We need to get out of here. How far is it to Parker's house?"

M.J. sprung up shaking her head urgently. "We can't take him home; May would have a heart attack."

The editor stared at her in shock. "You mean she doesn't know," he stated, reading between the lines.

The redhead bit her lip and looked away.

Jameson sighed. This was too complicated.

Robbie's voice broke the editors thoughts, "We can take him to my place. It's just me living there currently and besides… it's close."

Decided on a plan of action Jonah looked down to the teenager lying at his feet. "We need to get him into some real clothes."

"He should have some in his backpack," M.J. pipe in. "He usually has it around somewhere…" the redhead continued to mumble as she searched around and fishing through the rubble until she found what she was looking for. "A-HAH."

Unzipping the bag revealed red t-shirt, a pair of jeans and some old sneakers, but when the group went to put them on they found the super-powered teenager known as Spiderman asleep, gently snoring.

"It's almost a shame to wake him, he needs his rest," Robbie said softly looking at Peter's tired face.

"He can rest later" Jameson snapped at his friend. "Right now we just need to get him out of here, before that brute over there wakes up."

While the others were talking, M.J. knelt and gently shook her sleeping friend. "Peter? Come-on Tiger you need to wake up." With a groan those hazel eyes reluctantly open. "Hey sleepy head. Let's get you dressed." Peter closed his eyes again and tried to ignore the other teenager, but she was back, shaking him again.

"Common," her voice sounded again. "We can't have you sleeping on rooftops now can we?"

Grumbling Peter relinquished. With M.J. help he managed to sit up and put the normal clothing on over what was left of his costume.

Peter winced once when he raised his arms so his shirt could be pulled over his head, but other then that he seemed well on the way to recovery. All he needed now was a warm and preferably dry place to rest.

The two new men watched the redheaded girl quickly dress the other youth. It was obvious to them then that this wasn't the first time she had taken care of him. Jameson frowned. There were so many questions running through his head, so many unknowns. He wasn't used to being the one out of the loop, but he knew his questions would have to wait.

Robbie had joined M.J. while Jameson had been mulling over his thoughts. "Do you think you can stand, Peter?"

"Huh? Oh, yah… sure… just give me a minute…" It was taking a long time for Peter's tired mind to process anything at this point. With help he managed to get up, but he had to lean on the larger black man next to him to keep from falling over. Walking was going to be a problem. With assistance Peter was able to walk a few feet before he stumbled and nearly fell.

"To hell with it," Jameson grumbled impatiently sweeping the boy up in his arms. "Let's get out of here."

Peter was surprised to find himself in the editor's arms, but was too tired to really care. He leaned back in the arm encircling him and soon was asleep.

TBC…

Okay since my last chapter was pretty short and one of my dear, dear reviewers said they wished I would update more AND because my evil roommates woke me up at SIX AM (grrrrrr) on a Saturday (double grrrrrr) and just wouldn't shut up! I decided to write a little. Hope you like. I think the evil ones are gone now so I think I'm going to go back to bed. Please review.

Hey, **Elisa**. I must say your review made me all warm and fuzzy inside. I probably sat there looking lovingly at my computer/your review for about a minute before I snapped out of my happy glow enough to write this. Your review really means a lot to me. The feeling I get (and I imagine other fanfic authors get too) when I see a new review is just heavenly. It's really a lot like unexpectedly finding a fanfic you have been waiting (for what seems like forever) to update and then unexpectedly finding a new chapter has been uploaded, reading that chapter and finding out it's better then you could have ever hoped for… I'm speaking from experience, hehe… I guess what I'm trying to get at is ever review is a cherished and extremely valuable piece of writing to me and I really appreciate you taking your time to write one. Thank you so much. I am so happy you are enjoying my little fanfic… I do realize my chapters have been pretty short lately and that's probably to blame because I am so crazy that I currently have five fanfics going at once… frankly I'm nuts… and the scary thing is I know it… Anyway, (smile) I hope you will continue to enjoy this little fanfic. Thank again - Keajo

**Jpt**: Hey thanks for reviewing! It so good to hear from you guys! Thanks so much for the support. It's you guys that keep me going :)

P.S. Chapter title: "So Tired" inspired by the song "I'm So Tired" sung by The Beatles… not my favorite song, but I do like The Beatles and it will just have to do because, right now, I'm too tired to find anything else…


	8. Chapter 8: Thoughts

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 8: **Thoughts

_The boy's surprisingly light_, Jameson found himself thinking in the elevator. He looked up and noticed a strange little smile had started to creep it's way across the face of the only other conscious person in the elevator. With spunky redhead gone (she had run ahead and caught another elevator down in hopes that she would be able to catch a taxi by the time the rest of the group had reached ground floor) Jameson felt self-conscious and almost obligated to explain himself to his old friend and colleague.

"You know… I'm not doing this 'cuss I feel guilty or anything…"

"Sure sure" Robbie agreed, "whatever you say J.J…," but the smile did not leave his face. Instead it grew wider as if some hidden suspicion had been confirmed.

Desperately searching for a reasonable reply Jameson spat out the first coherent thought his mind came up with. "It-It was just more practical," The excuse sounded lame even to him and Jameson fell silent.

They rode the rest of the way without saying a word, the quite only punctuated by the soft breathing of the young man in Jameson's arms. This left each of the men to their own thoughts and all the questions they had still unanswered. The storm of uncertainty was enough to knock both men mentally and emotionally off-balance if they had been able to think about it for long enough, but luckily they didn't have very far to go. Before they could get too discouraged by the seriousness of the situation, there was a ding and the doors of the elevator slid back to reveal the lobby and M.J. waving at them through the front window of the building. By some miracle she had managed to secure them a ride. Robbie quickly called the police and left an anonymous tip saying that the Rhino was on the roof before he bundled into the taxi along the other three and directed the driver towards his house.

TBC…

I know this chapter is REALLY short, but I figure it's better then nothing. I actually needed a break from studying and so I wrote. I now do need to get back to studying no matter how much I would rather continue writing this fanfic (I have a test coming up *groan*)… Hope you enjoyed this short little piece. All I ask is please, PLEASE take a second to review this story. Reviewing on your part makes this writing fun for me and is really the only thing that keeps this fanfic (and all my other fanfics for that matter) going. It is you, my dear reviewers, that make me WANT to write. My curiosity to know what your response(s) to my newest chapter(s) will be is endless and I am always overjoyed to see new reviews. Thanks once more for reading – Keajo

Thanks to **Way Walker, naturelover, jpt,** for reviewing. You guys make me smile. This newest chapter (though short) was all for you. Hope you enjoyed.

P.S. Chapter title: "Thoughts" kinda inspired by Katy Parry's song "Thinking of You"


	9. Chapter 9: Home

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 9:** Home

Safely at the house Peter was finally carried to Robbie's bedroom and left to his exhausted sleep.

The ride to Robbie's house had been mostly uneventful. The trip to the car had been the scariest thing of all, but because of the dark, nobody noticed the blood stains on the groups clothing. It had also helped that they all were wearing mostly dark colors.

To fit them all in the taxi, M.J. had conned the driver into letting her sit in front with the three others in the back. It had been quite an argument, but the driver relented when he saw the sleeping figure of Peter in Jameson's arms. (Plus there was an extra twenty in it for him).

Peter had dosed through the whole trip and, not wanting to let anything important slip, the other three talked little. The drive of the taxi, uncomfortable with the silence had mentioned something about Jameson taking his son home. This little remark almost resulted in a heated argument, but Robbie had been able to intervene before it had gotten too dirty.

The two men and the teenager settled down in the kitchen after they had all washed Peter's blood away as best they could. Robbie made tea while M.J. sat uncomfortably as Jameson's looked at her searchingly.

"This is not the first time something like this has happened," the editor finally stated.

At first, it looked like the redhead was not going to say anything, but then she slumped back in her chair with a sigh. "No… it isn't."

Jameson continued; "From the way you handled yourself, one might even think this… occurrence may have happened several times."

The tired girl nodded. "Except for the part where a whole bunch of people learn who he really is…"

"Who does know?" asked Robbie passing around the freshly made caffeine before joining them at the small kitchen table.

"Excluding us? No one."

"You are telling me that no other living soul on this planet knows that Peter Parker is Spiderman?" said Jameson, skeptically.

Leaning her head back M.J. stared at the ceiling. "Well… technically… Doctor Ock knows but for some reason he's keeping the information to himself… and Doctor Strange knows and Green Goblin knew, but he's dead… Gwen knew, but she's dead…" this information came out bitterly. M.J.'s voice cracked with sorrow and she had to stop for a moment to compose herself. "I-I think the Fantastic Four now know and at least half of the X-men… Oh and Nick Fury knows… and Black Cat… Dare Devil..." She blinked, "Boy, the list is really quite long when you think about it." She wrinkled her forehead trying to remember anyone she could have forgotten. "I think that's everyone, but you'll have to ask Peter to be sure." She raised her head to look at the two men hanging on her every word and shrugged. "If it's any consolation I believe we are the only relatively 'normal' people I know that know his secret."

Silence ensued as the men digested this information, only to be shattered by the chiming of a clock as it struck the hour.

Startled, M.J. looked at her watch for the first time that night. "Oh crap." she exclaimed as she leaped from her chair and hastily gathering her belongings. "I can't believe it nine already! I need to run. My curfew's in an hour." She paused in the struggled to get her shoes on. "Do you think he could stay the night?" she questioned, throwing her head in the direction of the sleeping teen in the other room.

Robbie blinked. The idea of moving the boy had never even entered his mind. "Of course he can stay! I wouldn't dream of waking Peter now after all he has been through."

"Thanks." The girl visibly relaxed as she went back to tying her shoe. "You'll need to call May and make up something. Remember she doesn't know. Just say something about working late at the Bugle and falling asleep on your couch and it should be all good." Standing up again she paused with her hand on the doorknob. "I'll be back in the morning with some clothes and stuff, okay?" She glanced at the door behind which Peter was sleeping before her eyes turned back two men in the kitchen, a beseechingly look was held within her gaze. "Just…take care of him…"

Robbie nodded while Jameson silently looked on. M.J. taking courage from the assurance mutter, "see ya then" and ducked out of the door and was gone. Robbie flipped out his phone a second after the door shut to call Aunt May.

TBC…

Hi all. Here a new chapter. Please review.

**HatchetChu****:** I am glad that you liked my last little chapter. I found it really fun to write. Hope you like this one too.

**Kitty-chan and Nya-chan****:** Thanks for your comment on my writing. It's one of those thing I get to wondering about sometimes. Is it clear… descriptive… too descriptive… that sort of stuff. Hearing that you think my writing is fun to read is really uplifting.

**hedi****:** I LUV YOU!!! Thank you so much for your reviews. I was so happy to get them all. I was actually working on some homework when I got the I suddenly had an urge to check my email and there was your first two beautiful little reviews waiting for me. I looked again a few minutes later and poof: another review. I literally stayed glued to my computer after that waiting anxiously to see what you would say next. I only regret was I couldn't write more of this story right then and there (I had a test to study for… oh fun) Anyway, thank you, THANK YOU for taking the time to review all my chapters. It is much appreciated and I pray I will hear from you again soon.

P.S. Chapter title: "Home" sung by Michael Buble


	10. Chapter 10: Broken Dreams

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 10:** Broken Dreams

Jameson stood looking at the door the girl had disappeared behind for a moment before quietly going over to check that the invalid was still doing okay. The kid was sleeping soundly on his back in a sea of fluffy blue covers with one arm thrown haphazardly over his head. His breathing was easy now even though, in the dark, he still looked rather pale. If Jameson hadn't known better he could have imagined nothing more interesting had happen to Peter today then a boring day of school, but he did know better. The scene of blood kept resurfacing before his eyes. Jameson softly shut the door and turned to see his colleague observing him curiously from the kitchen doorway sipping tea, before leaving the entrance to sit at the kitchen table once more.

Jameson dropped tiredly into a chair in the same room. His fumbling fingers reached in his coat to find a cigar. He stuck in his mouth and when back to searching for a liter. Robbie leaned over with one in his hand (not being a smoker himself, Robbie kept a liter for such occasions as these). The editor took it and lighted up. The taste of the nicotine on his tongue helped clear his head. Jameson sat back and blew a smoke ring towards the ceiling. "This situation is fucked up."

"Mmm…"

"He almost got himself killed today, Robbie! If we had not been able to… I should have called the hospital. To hell with secret identities. I should have just called the damned hospital."

His rant ran it's course and Jameson fell silent, suddenly exhausted. "Dammit Robbie I don't know what to do anymore…"

Robbie looked up from his tea. "Jonah, you have always done what you thought was right. Even though I don't always agree with what you do, I know you're always doing what you think is the correct course of action and I think you will do the same thing now. Just promise me you'll hear his story first, get all the facts, before doing anything to drastic."

Jameson gave a tight nod, but his mind was already on other things. "How old is he anyway? Fifteen? A boy that young shouldn't be anywhere near the fights he is."

"As a photographer he would be," Robbie reasoned.

"Yes yes, but he shouldn't be _in_ the fights." The editor snapped.

"Jonah… I don't like the fact that Peter is Spiderman any more then you do, but he has to have a good reason for it. He's a good kid..."

Silence settled in on the two men. Jameson puffed away for a bit, the cigar smoke curling lazily up towards the ceiling.

"He's sixteen…"

Jameson looked up surprised at Robbie's words. "Jesus Christ…," he murmured setting his cigar down into an ashtray on the table. "Is that all, sixteen? What is this world coming to?"

A cry issued from the bedroom interrupting the discussion. The two newshounds looked at each other startled before sound of scraping chair legs filled the room. One chair was knocked over in the rush and clattered to the floor, but went unnoticed as the two men scrambled into the living room and over to the room that held Peter.

Jameson got there first. Wrenching the door open he found the boy tangled in blankets, tossing fitfully in his sleep.

"No… don't" Peter moaned. "No, STOP… Ben… don't go…" One of the teenager's hands clawed at the air trying to reach something that wasn't there. His face was flushed and tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.

Jameson hurried to the bed to grasp the reaching hand, shaking the teen awake. "Parker… Parker. Wake up boy!"

"Gah" The brown eyes snapped open to spill tears onto the pillow below. Fever burned within them.

"Shit! He's burning up. Robbie, do you have anything here that will take down a fever?"

"Yah… sure." Robbie swiftly disappeared into the adjoining bathroom in search of the medicine leaving Jameson alone with the sick teenager.

Tears continued to run from the child's eyes. "It's my fault. It's all my fault. They shouldn't have died. I should have saved them." His body heaved with the ragged sobs.

"Parker, Parker listen to me," Jameson gently shook the adolescent's shoulder to get his attention. "It was just a dream… It wasn't real…"

Parker's horror-filled eyes locked on the editor's and Jameson was again aware of the look he had seen just that morning floating beneath the tears. The teenager shook his head, "No. I should have stopped it." He looked away. "It's my fault…" Curling deeper into the covers, the boy continued to sob.

Seconds later Robbie hurried back into the room with a glass of water and some pills. Jameson wordlessly stood back to let him through. He had been struck dumb by the teenager's feverish confession. It was obvious the kid blamed himself for the death of someone close to him. Jameson sighed. There was a lot more about this Spiderman case that he didn't know then he cared to admit. Another obvious fact was becoming apparent to him; he was most likely very wrong in practically everything he ever thought about Spiderman.

"Peter your not well… here take this. It will help." The sounds of Robbie coaxing the teenager out from under the covers brought Jameson back to the real world.

"There you go." Robbie helped the kid take the pills he had brought. Peter almost choked on the last few, but managed to get them down. "Now lay back… you need your rest…"

The teenager leaned back as instructed, exhausted from his emotional episode and fever. Soon he's breathing steadied as the fast acting drugs took effect and forced him into a dreamless sleep, but the dirty tracks of tears still shone on his face, reminding everyone of what had just happened.

Robbie stood up from his place at Peter's side. "I think there's a lot more to this then we know." He softly brushed away a brown lock of hair out of the boys face before turning. "Come" he said quietly, "let's not disturb him any longer.

Jameson, who had been staring at the now sleeping child in front of him, complied, following his friend out of the room. They silently shut the door behind them and let the exhausted invalid sleep.

TBC…

Hey everyone! I can hardly believe we've finally made it to double digits (chapter wise I mean)... Hope I've still got your interest. All I ask is please, PLEASE review. Thanks you so much to everyone who has been reviewing. It means so very much to me I find myself unable to express it in word. Just, thank so much **hedi**, **Elisa**, **Way Walker**, **Spideyfan**, and **Kitty-chan and Nya-chan** for taking the time to write me review(s). Ever single review from you guys is so wonderfully precious to me. Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!!!

P.S. Chapter title: "Broken Dreams" from the song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" sung by Greenday.


	11. Chapter 11: Waiting

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 11:** Waiting

Peter slept the rest of the night away and into the next day. M.J. returned in the morning as promised with a change of clothes for Peter and his homework (given to her by Aunt May). Opening the door she was startled by the sight of two men sitting much where she had left them the night before in the kitchen, but looking a little worse for wear. Their bloodshot eyes which looked at her over steaming cups of very black coffee told of a sleepless night. M.J. ambled into the apartment, a feeling of concern beginning to grown within her. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"You could say that." After the redhead had settled into a chair Robbie recollected what had happened after she had left. The teenage girl listened, wide-eye and when the story was finished, she sat stunned trying to take in the information. "Is he okay?" She finally whispered through one hand.

"Peter's fine" the black man answered. "Still sleeping, but fine. It's just… I think we need to call into the school and say he's sick or something. I don't care how fast of a healer he is… the boy needs his rest."

"Yes… of course… just, give me a moment will you?" M.J. got up not waiting for an answer and quietly padded to the bedroom door, disappearing behind it. She reappeared soon after looking tired. "I haven't seen him look that weak after a full night of rest in a long time," she mumbled when she noticed the men watching her.

"And precisely when was that?" snapped Jameson, the sleep deprivation and his normal irritated self blending to form a worse then usual bad mood.

"The first time he got shot," M.J. snapped right back.

That shut the editor up...

"What did Peter mean last night when he said it was his fault?" Robbie quietly asked after a moment, changing the subject.

"You really shouldn't be hearing this from me… besides, I have to get to school." M.J. quickly started to gather her things from the table, dodging any eye contact, but was stopped by Robbie hand on her shoulder.

"Who else, but you can tell us."

The redhead looked back at him and sighed, her shoulders slumping a bit. "Here it is in a nutshell; whenever Peter gets to a scene of a crime or a fire or anything too late he always blames himself, but that's just part of it. Most of all he blames himself for his uncle's death. I guess you could say it's his guilt that made him become Spiderman in the first place…" M.J. paused there to take a breath before continuing in a tone that spoke of sadness. "Recently a friend of ours, Gwen Stacy, who had figured out Peter's secret also died. Murdered. Peter blames himself for not being able to protect her…" Unshed tears shone in the teenager's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Now I really need to go… I'll be back as soon as I can," the redhead said, shrugging on her backpack and slipping through the front door before the two news hounds could ask or say anything more.

The editor and his right hand man sat there, silently trying to digest the new information M.J. had just told them. There was just so much to take in and so fast.

Thoughts sped across Jameson's mind. So many pieces of the Spiderman puzzle were starting to fall into place as more and more information about Peter and his second self was revealed, but the picture that puzzle was making was nothing like Jameson had ever imagined.

Robbie, on the other hand, looked as if his suspicions were slowly being revealed as true. He had always disagreed with Jameson when it came to Spiderman being a menace and now Jameson was finding that his friend had been right all along. It was pretty hard for the editor to take. He was so used to being so unquestionably right, always the first to know anything and everything that this sudden revelation was a big shock to him, especially since the one who ended up to be Spiderman had been working for him all the time _and _was a teenager. What _was_ the world coming to?

Jameson stared into his coffee. _What am I going to do?_ he wondered silently. The editor was sitting on the story of the century, but… Jameson sighed. _What __**should**__ I do?_ He glanced over to the door the wounded teenager lay behind and then looked away as if he couldn't even bring himself to face the door let alone the kid that lay behind it. Peter had been hurt, had almost died saving _him_. Oh boy…

_I'll wait_, the editor finally decided. _I'll do nothing until… until later. Until I'm sure of… everything._ The words sounded lame even in Jameson's mind, but he needed more time to mull this situation over. To think. _All I need is more time... And to talk with Parker._

TBC…

Hey everyone… sorry I missed updating last week… it was a bit of a rough week and, truthfully, it looks like I'm soon going to become more busy (if that is even possible… sigh) . I will say that, while I was not exceedingly proficient at writing new chapter(s) last week (due not only to writers block, but tests and studying and school in general), I did have a boom of new ideas for stories which I am really excited about… (not that they will be up, mind, there just some new ideas that actually look like they may go somewhere AKA: have a plot). I also just found an open arts studio on my college campus where I would be able to again take up my ceramic and glass bead making activities which I haven't been able to do for more then six months (if I want and if I can somehow find the free time). I must say I am SO excited about this discovery!!! There's nothing like finding a place where you can do something you love! Anyway I know that was all mostly random babble that you really didn't need to know, but hey… I felt like sharing… Hope you liked the new chapter and please, Please, PLEASE review! I really, REALLY love hearing from you guys… New reviews just make my day. Thanks for reading – Keajo.

Hedi: Sorry, but you're going to have to wait a bit longer for Peter to really wake up. I hope I'm not dragging this out too long, but… well, I guess it's just the way I'm doing it… Anyway, it's so good to hear from you and thanks so much for helping me out! I'm looking forward to hearing for you again.

HiddenFanGirl: Hey! I am so happy you reviewed and are liking this little fanfic. It really means a lot to mea that you are because this is my first spidy fic and all… I'm also really happy you like the way that I am depicting Jameson… some people probably think he's a little to soft, but hey: he has a son and a wife (in some version) AND Robbie as a friend so I really do think there's more to Jamison then the pain-in-the-ass we usually see… Thanks so much again for reviewing. It is always nice to hear from 'new' readers!

blueraven1999: I am so glad to be hearing from you as a new reader and/or reader and I am so glad you are liking this fanfic! I feel a little bad because right after you said I'm a fast writer, I skip a chapter, but, finally, here's a new one… Thanks again for taking the time to review and I hope to hear from you again!

P.S. Chapter Title: "Waiting" sung by Dash Berlin featuring Emma Hewitt


	12. Chapter 12: Going Through the Motions

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 12:** Going Through the Motions

Peter slept the day away quietly, his body healing quickly as it was allowed the rest it needed. Jameson didn't disturb the sleeping teen. His questions could wait until Peter woke up, even though the editor _really _wished he could have had his answers now, but... it could wait.

Now Jameson had never been a very patient man, but the knowledge that Peter was injured and basically because of him, kept the old news hound from disturbing the teenagers rest. Plus it wasn't as if there was any rush. None of 'the competition' held the information he and Robbie did.

During that day Jameson busied himself with work. He had to go into the _Bugle_. He was the editor after all and the news waits for no one. Robbie stayed home, though. Looking after Peter just in case…

Unfortunately for the editor, his thoughts kept drifting back to Peter and everything that had happened the night before. He just couldn't seem to keep his mind focused on the task at hand as the day crept by all too slowly for his liking. The news in general was pretty slow that day too. A fire. A shoot out. A robbery. Nothing very new for the city that never sleeps.

When Jamison's workday was finally over, the editor found himself rushing back to Robbie's to check on the injured boy, but nothing much had changed. Peter was breathing normally and his color was good, but he still slept.

After Jameson arrived, Robbie informed him that the teenager _had_ in fact woken up briefly in the middle of the day to go to the bathroom, but by the time Robbie had gotten to the room upon hearing the toilet flush, Peter had already flopped back onto the bed and was asleep again. In the end, Robbie figure the kid hadn't been any more awake then he had needed to be to use the facilities. In fact, Peter looked so zonked out and had fallen asleep so quickly that Robbie figured the teenager probably hadn't even noticed he wasn't in his own home. The good news was now they at least knew Peter wasn't in a coma or something…

M.J. called in as Robbie and Jameson were settling in for the night to say she wouldn't be able to make it out to Robbie's that night. Her call was vague and the redhead was quick to hang up, but not before promising to come again the next morning.

M.J. call was about the last interesting thing that happened that night. Jameson and Robbie slept in shifts to watch over Peter, but the boy rested quietly all night. It wouldn't be until the next morning when he would wake up.

TBC…

Okay I know that this was a bit of a boring and short chapter, kinda like I'm just trying to get from point A to B (which I must admit I kinda am…), but this fanfic will get much more interesting by the next chapter! I am actually getting really excited with all the 'stuff' I'm going to be able to do… hee this is going to be fun!

**Jpt:** Guess what? The time you and everyone else have been waiting for is almost here… To tell you the truth, I'm really excited that I am going to be soon writing with Peter awake, but I'm also kinda dreading it at the same time. I mean, I'm going to actually have to think this out… there's simply so much ground to cover with Jameson, Peter and the others… should be interesting to see how it all falls into place… hope I don't mess it all up… Thanks for your review as always and I hope to hear from you saying I didn't mess everything up next chapter… I hope…

**HiddenFanGirl**:You know what?... I think I like the word snarky… I even looked it up (well I googled it at least) to make sure I knew exactly what it meant and found not only is it kinda a funny word, it also fits Jameson to a T… I may have to use it sometime… Anyway, thanks a bunch for the review!

**Vorsith**: Glad you're liking...

**CGreene**: I don't think a single word review has ever made me so happy! Your "...wow..." really made my day... Thanks a bunch!

**blueraven1999**: I know what you mean. Some authors (an unfortunately as the semester continues I'm kinda becoming apart of this group, at least where my other fanfics are concerned) take forever to update... and it's kinda sad sometimes because some of them have such wonderful stories. I think my attempts at somewhat consistent updating is because of my time as a fanfic reader (when I wasn't also an author). I have some fanfics I am waiting for that have literally not been updated in years... I also hate it when an author suddenly stops in the middle of a story and say 'sorry that's all I got' or 'I'm bored so I'm not going to write any more.' That just seems so irresponsible to me... I can promise that, while I have no clue _when _this fanfic will be completed, it _will_ be completed someday as long as I have the ability to finish it... I try really hard to have at least a basic outline for all of my stories and a pretty good head start on them so I know where they going before putting them up on this site... I also try to limit myself to only one or two fanfics per topic (like Spiderman) so I don't confuse myself/make similar fanfics trying to write different stories of the same characters. You would not believe all the half ideas and even fully developed ideas I have on my computer right now for other fanfics... I have 2 'half ideas' in development right now for Spiderman alone and probably 20 more for other fanfics not counting the stories I already have up... Truthfully I feel kinda bad because I haven't touched many of my other fanfics lately… It's just, this one (spiderman that is) is the only one that seems to be writing out for me at the moment. I've been trying to figure out why and I think I've come to the decision that this one probably writes easiest because it's the one where the fic I'm fanning has the most background/is closest to home – like it's not in the future or dealing with the supernatural... Okay yes it is dealing with 'superheros' but, believe me, compared to the other genres I write it, it's 'normal'... Oh boy... Now that I look back at all that I have written, I seem to have been rambling... I hope you don't mind... but really, this review reply is almost as long as my freaking chapter! Weird... I guess I was just in a kind of talkative mood... Anyway, I really look forward to hearing from you again and thanks so much for your review!

**Battosailover**: Glad your liking this story... I'm always happy to hear from new readers. Um... this is just a guess, but by chance do you like Kenshin?

P.S. Chapter title: "Going Through the Motions" from the TV series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' in the episode 'Once More with Feeling' sung (mostly) by Sarah Michelle Gellar.


	13. Chapter 13: Saturday

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 13:** Saturday

"Unnh oomf…" Peter shifted, curling deeper into the blankets as sunlight streamed through the window next to him, shining upon his face. He didn't want to wake up. If only he could lie here forever... Peter sighed and blinked his eyes open. Then the teenager's brow wrinkled in confusion. The room around him was unfamiliar. He sat up startled to look around, mentally wincing at the sore, stiff feeling in his muscles and side. _What happened?_ Peter let his head fall tiredly into one hand and he closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to think through the occurrences of the past few days, but all he remembered was Rhino and pain. Everything else was a hazy, swirl of mismatched information. The teenager thought he remembered Jameson and… M.J.? Peter brow crinkled further as the feeling that there was something else really important he should remember came over him, but he just couldn't remember. The knowledge eluded him, lurking in the dark recesses of his memory never coming forward into the light. Peter finally gave up and yawned lazily, looking around him once again. The room was nice… cozy and warm in feeling. Peter wondered whose house he was in. He shrugged his shoulders to himself. He didn't feel as if he was in any danger here and that was enough. Peter laid back once more on the bed ready to fall asleep once more, then his eyes caught sight of the clock sitting innocently on the bedside table beside him.

---

M.J. had just arrived when a blood curdling scream echoedthrough Robbie's apartment emanating from the bedroom.

The redhead was the first up from the kitchen table and was rushing towards the bedroom door when Peter burst through it.

"Peter, what's wrong?!"

"Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm going to be late for school!" The teenage boy was hopping up and down frantically trying to shove his right sneaker onto his foot. Accomplishing that he glanced up trying to find his backpack.

"Oh hello…?" Peter said a little confused as he caught sight of Jameson and Robbie staring at him with shocked looks on their faces. Both the news hounds had frozen half standing at the kitchen table, disbelieving what their eyes were seeing. Peter, who had been half dead not two days ago, was running around the apartment like there was no tomorrow. How the heck was that possible?

"Oh crap," Peter muttered remembering the time. He ran over and grabbed his backpack from beside front door and, before anyone could say a word, jumped out the apartment window.

Jameson felt his jaw drop. It wasn't until that moment the truth that Peter Parker was Spiderman really sunk in.

M.J. ran and leaned out the window Peter had jumped from to yell after the receding figure leaping across the rooftops. "Peter.. PETER! IT'S SATURDAY!!"

The redhead then turned back with a sigh to find the two men in the kitchen staring now at her. She pushed a lock of messy red hair out of her eyes subconsciously. "Don't worry… he'll be back. In a block or two his mind will probably figure out what I said."

On cue, the boy that was Spiderman stuck his head back in, "What happened to Friday?"

M.J. jumped and glared at her friend hanging upside-down outside the window. "You slept through it," she snapped trying and failing to stay mad at him. It was just so hard to be angry with him when he was hanging like that; with his hair sticking up (well down, but that's not the point) and his big hazel eyes glittering at her innocently. It was good to see her friend up and running around again. The shocked look on his face also helped.

"Oh no," Peter moaned. "Aunt May's going to kill me."

"No she won't. Now get in here before someone sees you." Almost manhandling her fellow student into the room M.J. continued with the explanation of why Peter was not going to be grounded for life. "Lucky for you, Robbie was smart enough to call May when it looked like you were not waking up anytime soon Friday morning to tell her you had a slight fever and that he thought you shouldn't go to school. Hearing that new, she, of course came over, even though Robbie continuously insisted she didn't have to. May found you, not with a fever, but definitely looking like you might have had one, which you did have earlier I might add. You really need to thank Robbie, by the way, May really gave him a talking over when she got here; saying that he was working you too hard and everything. Somehow he managed to convince her that you where in good hands and could stay here the weekend to recover so you wouldn't get any sicker. She relented at his advice and was just about ready to move in here with you except Robbie again came to your rescue by warning her off by saying the illness might be catching and the fewer people exposed to it the better. May grudgingly saw his point and left the clothing she brought with her for you here and made Robbie promise to call her if anything else happened before leaving. After what happened to you, you really needed the rest."

"You should be in the hospital," grumbled Jameson having gotten over his shocked paralysis and sitting at the table again to pick up the coffee that lay before him.

Peter stared. It was the first time his brain actually registered that it was a person, it was _Jameson_ (and Robbie) sitting at the table before him. What was Jameson doing here and so late in the morning? And, Peter not knowing what else to do, asked just that. "Um sorry, but what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?" Then something in the teenager's memory kicked in and he felt his eyes grow even wider. "You're the one who found me."

The teenager's hush whisper was enough to make the editor look up from his coffee. He saw confusion, worry and even fright in the young man's eyes and felt maybe just a little guilty that he was the cause of it. "Yes."

"And… and you _know_."

Jameson nodded.

Peter's eyes then darted to Robbie. "You too?"

Robbie also nodded.

"Oh boy." Peter suddenly felt light headed and he had to lean against the wall for support. The adrenaline that had rushed through his system a few seconds ago was gone, leaving the super powered teenager feeling more drained then he had ever thought possible. _Oh my god_, he realized slowly. _I _jumped_ out a _**window**_ in front of them. That was so stupid! If they didn't know I was Spiderman then, they defiantly do now. _

Peter ran his hands through his hair trying to organize his memories and thoughts. What a mess… and there was no way out of it. They knew… there was no way for them _not _to know. Now the question was what was going to happen next? Or what had happened while he was asleep?

With those thoughts in mind, Peter looked up again to see the men intently watching him – Robbie with open understanding and concern and Jameson with… well, Peter couldn't quite tell. The teenager sighed and pushed himself away from the wall to approach the group. "I suppose we need to talk..."

TBC…

Okay here it is… Peter is officially up and running… I really hope I did okay… please oh please sweet Muses of Writing and Literature say I did okay…

**Funky weird trivia** I learned from school that has absolutely nothing to do with this fanfic but I thought I would share anyway: Ever wonder what a ring-tailed lemurs ringed tail is really for? Well even if you haven't, you're about to find out… STINK WARS and I'm totally being serious. Ring-tailed lemurs live in relatively large groups which in turn have a sort of territory in which they roam. Now when two groups of ring-tailed lemurs bump into each other, a battle for territory begins… a battle of literally 'which group can be the smelliest.' Male lemurs within a group will start frantically rubbing his wrists – on which a stink gland is located – onto their tails until they feel they have smelled up their tails enough, after which they will start 'wafting' their smell at the opposing group. In the end, the smelliest wins and the losing group leaves, probably thinking something very much akin to 'pee yew, you stink. We're outta here.' Now, the winning group is left to themselves in their peaceful albeit slightly more fragrant territory… You must admit, there are worse ways of solving conflict… Oh and I also want to mention that Aye-Aye's (another type of lemur) are both cool and creepy at the same time… look one up, you'll see what I mean… Oh and Sifaka's (another lemur – pronounced she-fa-ka) are pretty and fun to watch… Anyway that wraps up my funky, weird college trivia for the day. Amazing what I learn from having a 'higher' education… If anyone wants to learn a little more about lemurs and in a bit of a humorous way, they can look up In the Wild: Operation Lemur with John Cleese (yes, I mean the British comedian probably best know for being apart of the Monty Python group)… I believe this documentary is up on Youtube for any interested…

**HiddenFanGirl** and **blueraven1999**: Thanks so much to you two for reviewing… you guys are just sooooooo wonderful. I really hope you like this new chapter…

P.S. Chapter Title: 'Saturday' from song "Saturday in the Park" sung by Chicago


	14. Chapter 14: Practical

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 14:** Practical

Jameson watched closely as the Peter slowly approached the kitchen. It was obvious the boy was confused. Hell who wouldn't be waking up for the first real time after… well after almost dying. It was also obvious Peter was very nervous about the situation at hand, almost to the point of being skittish and maybe even a little scared. Actually, Jamison realized taking in the way the teenager was unconsciously hugging himself, his arms crossed tightly across his chest in about as closed and defensive of a posture one could make, there was no maybe about it, the boy was scared.

Peter stopped his approach while he was still a good four feet away from the kitchen and stood there staring at his feet as if he couldn't quite bring himself to meet the eyes that were watching him so very closely.

An awkward silence hung in the air for a few second before it was broken by Peter's voice.

"So, um… yah." Peter paused and bit his lip, not really sure what to do or say next. His mind was racing. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not yet anyway… He wasn't ready to face this. He didn't know how to face this.

The boy who was Spiderman then sighed. Whether or not he was ready to face this situation didn't matter. It was happening and it was happening now… He was just going to have to make the best of it…

Peter looked up, meeting Jamison's eyes directly, his indecision gone. It was time to step up to the plate and see what it got him. "So… What now?"

---

When it came down to the important stuff, Jameson was generally a pretty good judge of character. It was one of the reasons he had managed to get from being a nobody reported to an editor of a major metropolitan daily… and how he managed to get good, dependible people like Robbie for friends and, looking at Peter now, the old news hound could tell, there was not one malicious bone in the boy's body. Peter may have been Spiderman, but he wasn't being a vigilante for the fun of it… It wasn't about the thrill. It wasn't about fame. It wasn't about anything Jameson had always thought it was about. All the kid wanted to do when he put on the costume was help. Jameson had no idea how he knew this. It was just one of those things his gut was telling him. And it was something that shown within those worried hazel eyes. Just an open willingness to help people. Jameson wondered how he had never seen it before. 'So what now?' Well, that really was the question: What now? Peter was awake and up, but for some reason the editor, now that he was actually face to face with the kid, was finding himself tongue-tied. With something this big, where the heck do you even begin? There was so much he wanted to ask the boy, but he couldn't remember the questions anymore. His mind was just blank. This…_ kid_ had saved his_ life_. The idea felt so weird.

Peter shifted a bit uncomfortably where he stood and Jameson blinked. He hadn't realized he had been staring. The editor sighed to himself. This was going to be harder then he could ever had imagined. "Well–"

"How about the beginning?"

Jameson glanced up, startled at Robbie's voice. Peter's head also snapped around to focus on the other man. For a moment there the teenager had almost had forgotten he and Jameson where not the only ones in the room.

Robbie nodded gently, gesturing lightly to both Peter and Jameson. "How about we start at the beginning and go from there?"

"The beginning, yah." Peter looked away for a moment trying to collect his thoughts. Damn he wished he could _think_. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, and _he_ seemed to be caught in the turtle lane… Truthfully the teenager wasn't quite sure he was ready to tell Robbie and Jamison everything, but what other real choice did he have? None that he could think of at the moment. At lease none that made any sense. Also the fact that he still couldn't quite remember everything that had happened that fateful Thursday night didn't help and, actually, made him worry a great deal…

Suddenly MJ's voice sounded from behind him, her clear voice cutting through the clutter of Peter's thoughts.

"Okay, not that this lovely awkward silence isn't all fun and games or anything, but can I make a suggestion?" Everyone's eyes turned to looked at the redhead. MJ took their attention as the go ahead to continue talking and did so.

"First of all, Peter, you need to go get cleaned up. Go take a shower, change your bandages, clothes, et cetera."

Peter blinked, totally taken back by the drastic change in subject. He hadn't even thought for a second about what he must look like, let alone _smell_ like, after spending more then two days in a bed in the same set of clothing. Now that he was thinking about it, he defiantly noticed a sort of musty aura that hung around his person and he blushed, totally embarrassed.

MJ came up to stand by her friend, resting a companionable hand on his shoulder making his hazel eyes look over to her. "Sorry tiger," she said apologetically and yet a bit bluntly, "but frankly you still look like crap."

Peter's blush deepened.

Peter wasn't the only one who was taken aback by MJ's practicality. Jameson, himself felt a great wave of shame rise within him at the redheads words. Dammit he should have thought of that. Just seeing Peter up before had been such a welcome sight to the editor that he didn't even notice what condition the boy was in. Looking at Peter now, it was plain to see he needed some cleanup. Just at a glance Jamison could see there was still some dirt and dried blood on the boy they had missed before. His hair was a sweaty, grease mess. His clothes wrinkled and had also been soaked with sweat and other things making the cloth now stiff and probably unconformable to be in and those were just some of the things Jamison saw at a glance… the editor sighed. Somehow it seemed that now MJ was the only one of them talking any sense… but then again, Jameson reflected, she was also the only one with most of the pieces of the Spiderman puzzle in place…

"Well," Robbie said pushing back his chair to stand and walk over to the two teenagers. "A shower seems reasonable to me." The man stopped at Peter's side to to raise a hand and gesture back to the bedroom. "Would you like to follow me and I can show you where the shower is and get you set up with some towels.

Peter smiled a little sheepishly. "Thanks," he said with a nod before following the older man back into the bedroom he had woken up in that morning and disappearing from sight with an attentive MJ following close behind.

That left a speechless Jameson alone, sitting at the kitchen table. He sat there staring after the group for a second, hardly believing what had just transpired. From where he was sitting right now, Peter just seemed like a normal kid, not very 'super' at all. After a bit the editor just sat back in his chair to consider the situation. He rustled around his coat for a moment before lighting up the cigar he had found and puffing away at it in consideration _Well_, he finally decided. _**That **__defiantly didn't go how I thought it would_…

TBC…

Here you go guys… probably not really what you expected but hey, we all have to be practical some times… Shower first, deep talks later… Thanks for reading. All I ask is pleeeeeeeeease, please, PLEASE review.

A great big THANK YOU going out to everyone who took the time to review the last chapter. I appreciate it so very very much... and so many reviews for just one chapter! Ah I'm in heaven.... Please review again and make me happy. I so love hearing from all of you, my dear readers, and I am so glad so many of you are liking this story. Thanks a whole bunch for your continued support and giving this story a chance in the first place. Your reviews are what keeps me writing and somedays they are the thing that puts the smile on my face and the bounce in my step. Frankly, you all ROCK!! Thanks so much!!

**HiddenFanGirl: **Yes, let us hope that when I finally do get to the 'deep talks' (AKA in the next chapter or the one after that) I do it right... I mean there is so much to cover! I really hope I don't disappoint...

**Battosailover5:** Big mess yes... how big that mess is going to get is yet to be decided... (evil chuckle)

**Kitty-chan and Nya-chan:** Yay! I'm so glad you like my Peter. I like how he turned out too... I mean with all that he does: school, homework, work, and saving people on a regular basis there has to be some serious energy/bit o' hyperactivity backing all that or else halfway through the day Peter would just flop down onto the floor exhausted... at least that's my take...

**jpt:** Glad you liked my bit of humor last chapter... It was really fun to write...

**JasonTKD:** Yah... the 'late for school scene'... all I have to say is: it was sooo freaking fun to write and truthfully, I could really see Peter doing something like that... the photo/Jameson thing was a really good though... thanks for pointing it out... seriously there is so much to cover/think about with this whole 'Spidy true identity' thing... It's kinda overwhelming. I really hope I end up doing good when I get to it... (fingers crossed)

**Athena Fenton: **I'm so happy your liking the way Jameson is developing in this story. I really believe that he is under appreciated in the spidy fanfictions... there just aren't alot of fanfics with Jameson in a prominent position and he's such a wonderfully colorful character that it's kinda a pity... I also really believe, at least in my mind, that he's a pretty good guy at heart... a bit of an ass but also a good guy... just my opinion...

**blueraven1999: **Glad you liked my last chapter... It was really a joy to write. Yah fainting for Peter... that way defiantly a possibility and truthfully I had an alternate scene were he did just that and if I ever get to editing this fanfic I may rewrite a bit so he ends up doing so, but for now it is what it is... yah... 'deep talks' coming up soon... I'm probably going to be calling on a few more Muses for help... wish me luck...

**Dancer's Immediate ****Bliss**: Well now if I didn't have cliffhangers, how else could I get you to come back for more my sweet darling review whom I luv… (evil cat with canary grin). Seriously now, thanks so much for the review. It really means a lot to me. I am just so happy that you like my story!!

**More weird trivia** from one of my journalism classes: The past tence of drag is dragged NOT drug... seriously people may know better to not write drug as a past tense, but they do say it sometimes... it can actually get pretty funny to hear if you catch someone saying it...

P.S. Chapter title: "Practical" from the 1998 movie "Practical Magic" with Sandra Bullock.


	15. Chapter 15: Simple and Clean Almost

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

**Chapter 15:** Simple and Clean… Almost

_Oh god it feels good to be clean again._ Peter leaned against the shower wall silently reveled in the feel of the warm water running over his body. _It is amazing how you miss the little things in life_, he thought with a small tired smile.

All of the filth from the past few days had been washed away quiet some time ago, but still the teenager stayed, just standing in the rush of water, thinking. His wound was gone. Completely healed leaving behind only an ugly, red and very fresh scar that too would fade soon enough, but even so he still found himself exhausted.

Peter closed his eyes and sighed. He needed to leave, needed to go talk to those who where waiting for him just a few rooms away, but he just didn't want to. Not yet. But he needed to… It needed to be done. Peter sighed again and turned the shower off.

The water slowly trickled to a stop and Peter slid the showers glass door back to step out into the misty bathroom. He ran a hand through his brown hair to get it out of his eyes so he could see a bit better. Spotting the fluffy blue towels that had been left out for him he found himself smiling again. Robbie was such a kind man. Actually, Peter realized suddenly, Robbie reminded him a bit of Uncle Ben. The thought made the teenager both a little sad and happy at the same time. Such a strange feeling…

Really Peter didn't want to be a bother to his host, at least not more so then he already had been. The man had already done so much for him… Peter grabbed only one of the towels, leaving the other two in place, untouched. It was a small thing, but it still made Peter feel a little less guilty about pretty much crashing at Robbie's place for… well… for three days now…

The teenager quickly started the dry off. He had already wasted so much time, but still… so many questions. If he could only figure out the problem that was currently standing on his proverbial doorstep he would be good, but life was never that easy, was it?

Peter let the thought go as he finished drying off and started into the bedroom while ruffling his hair dry with the towel. Worrying about it now wouldn't really help. Instead it would just stress him out more and that was something he really didn't need right now especially when he was finally beginning to feel like himself again.

His feet sunk into the carpet telling the teenager he was away from the cool tiled floors of the bathroom and into the bedroom and he glanced around curiously letting the towel he had been using to dry himself rest around his neck. _Wonder where those spare clothes are? _

---

A few rooms away, the kitchen was filled with the sound of cooking. Thinking there was no better time then the present; Robbie had started in on making breakfast. Egg, bacon, sausage, toast… he was pulling out all the stops, holding nothing back. After all, Peter hadn't eaten anything for quite a while now…

Jameson, on the other hand, hadn't done or said much since the last time he had seen Peter… After Robbie and MJ had come back from helping the other teen in the bedroom, the two had found the editor standing by the open window Peter had jump through not too long ago, gazing through it intently as if somewhere out there the answers to all his many questions could be found. Even now the editor still stood there, quietly contemplating his thoughts while the smoke from a newly lit cigar lazily drifted away on the wind. He would look up once in a while to the kitchen or the bedroom, like he was checking on something, but he wouldn't say so much as a word before his gaze went back to the window… Looking at him, MJ wasn't quiet sure why the older man had moved from his original place at all. He didn't seem to be doing much of anything special. The only real reason she could come up with was maybe he was being conscientious of his cigar smoke… Didn't really sound like the editor, at least from the little MJ knew about him, but, she thought with a mental shrug, you never know…

Speaking of MJ, she was getting a little restless. The kitchen, minus the sounds of Robbie cooking, was quite. Really, barely a word had been spoken since Peter had left the room and MJ found herself sitting at the kitchen table, alone with her thoughts and with nothing else to do but think of the past few days and that was the one thing that she was trying most to avoid doing. Right now it would just depress her so she attempted to keep her mind blank. That left her with the joyous task of staring at the wall. To put it bluntly: MJ was bored. _Hell_, she thought drearily resting her arms and head on the table, _I liked being questioned better then this_."

"Tired?" MJ looked up at Robbie's voice to find the man softly smiling at her from his position by the stove.

"Mmm… No," she shook her head, rubbing phantom sleep from her eyes. "Not really. Just feeling a little… useless right now." The redhead looked hopefully up at the man. "Don't suppose you need any help doing anything?"

Robbie seemed to think about that for a moment, flipping over a few sausages in the skillet before him, before asking, "Want to set the table?"

"Sure" MJ nodded happily. She needed something, anything, to do and 'setting the table' was about the perfect thing for her. It barely required any brain power at all.

"Plates in cupboard behind me, glasses above that and silverware in drawer below."

"My aren't we efficient," the redhead mumbled with a bit of a smile.

Robbie shrugged lightly. "It works."

After a bit the table was almost set. All that was left to do was to place the silverware. MJ moved toward the cabinets again in search for the utensils. For the past few minutes she had been in utter and complete bliss from simply not having to think about anything but the task ahead of her, but now that she was nearly done, she found her thoughts wandering again and almost despite herself found her mind coming back to the issue of Peter. So much had happened in such a short time, and those 'things' had been so… so life changing that it was now practically impossible to predict what would happen next. It could be good, it could be bad or it could_ really _bad. MJ just didn't know what to expect, but what she did know was something, whether good or bad, big or little, was going to come from all this and she wanted to be there for Peter when it did. Just for support and possible damage control if nothing else. And maybe a bit out of curiosity. True she knew a fair amount about the whole Spiderman thing, but she didn't know everything and was curious to hear what the newsmen would ask and what Peter's answers would be. Really Robbie and even Jamison didn't seem that bad of people, in fact Robbie in particular seemed like a pretty good sort and Jameson couldn't be all that bad since he did help Peter in the first place, so with any luck things would ultimately end up okay. Hopefully it was her luck at work this time and not Peter's. Seriously, MJ could have sworn that sometime in his life Peter had somehow managed to majorly pissed off one of the 'good luck fairies' or something 'cus his luck was often worse then… well then a lot of other peoples. It was either that or the universe really did run on irony. Luckily that bad like usually only pertained to little things. MJ smiled a little and shook her head at the thought as she laid the last piece of silverware down in its place at the table. Right now the main important thing was the fact that Peter was still alive.

MJ stood back from the table to survey her work. Not bad, she thought to herself. Then her eyes caught sight of Peter's extra clothes still lying on top of her backpack by the entrance to the kitchen.

"Shoot," she cursed.

Robbie looked up from the stove a bit worried thinking the teenager might have cut herself on a knife or something. "Anything wrong?"

"No," MJ sighed gathering up the clothes from her backpack up in her arms. "I just forgot to give these to Peter. I'll be back in a moment."

"'K," the newsman answered as the redhead disappeared from the kitchen. He then glanced over and seeing the table completely set, started to brainstorm what else he could have the teenager do upon her return.

---

Upon reaching the bedroom door, MJ, figuring her friend was still in the shower, did not bother to knock. Her mistake. She opened the door calling out Peter's name as she did so.

"Pe –**_ eep!_**" The boys name never even got the chance to fully leave the redheads lips before it was choked off by what could only be described as a surprised squeak.

The noise made Jameson glance away from the window and one of his eyebrows rose at what he saw.

The girl had turned white. She stood frozen staring through the doorway for a second then her face flared bright red and then she turned and slammed the door shut. About the same time another shocked cry had issued from the bedroom quickly followed by a "whoa" and a muffled thump before the slamming of the door cut off the sound completely.

The editor's brow wrinkled in confusion at the noise and MJ's actions. He opened his mouth to ask the redhead what was wrong but the teenager didn't give him the chance. Instead she just turned, shoving the spare clothes for Peter into Jameson's arms before fleeing into the kitchen, her face still crimson. "Damn his stupid luck," the editor heard the girl viciously muttering to herself as she flew past him. "Damn it damn it damn it…"

Jameson blinked, his arms now laden with a jumble of clothes. _What the hell…?!_ _For a girl who had, before, taken most anything the world could seem to throw at her in stride that was… strange. Wonder what could have caused that?_

Jameson's question was quickly answered when he moved to the door MJ had slammed shut a second ago and peak his head in.

A very shocked and what must have been seconds before a very nude Peter was staring in the directing of the door in what could only be explained as wide-eyed horror. The boy was huddled in a jumbled mass of blankets on the floor that had obviously been ripped away from the bed in a hurry. He had a towel draped around his neck but otherwise there was no signed of another towel anywhere in the room. That simple fact plus the… protective positioning of Peters hands told the whole story.

Jameson had to fight to keep from laughing. He could just imagine what had happened: Peter had been drying off his hair or something in the bedroom after which the boy had probably planned to either wrap the towel around his waist before finding the new clothes that he had early been told about, assuming they were somewhere in the bedroom, or just finding the clothing and directly putting them on. Then the redhead had walked in on him…

"Here," the editor said barely able to keep the laughter out of his voice. "Your clothes." Jameson tossed the articles to the boy who barely managed to catch them in his still stunned state. He had to scramble not to let them fall on the floor.

"Yah…" Peter said looking at the clothing as if it was some sort of foreign object. "Thanks…" His voice sounded like his thoughts were far away as if he was still in shock and his face, not unlike MJ's had turned a bright shade of crimson.

Jameson turned away and shut the door, letting the boy have some privacy to gather what shreds of dignity he had left. The editor leaned back on the door an amused smile finally forming upon his lips. He reached up to take his cigar out of his mouth and blew a smoke ring at the ceiling. _Teenagers…_

At that moment Robbie poked his head out of the kitchen a frying pan full of bacon still in his hand. "What's going on? MJ came careening in here like a bat out of hell but I can't seem to get a word out of her. "

"Oh just teenagers being teenager," Jameson answered with a vague wave of his cigar.

Robbie raised his eyebrows waiting for more of an explanation but Jameson just smirked back at him mysteriously and took another pull on his cigar.

TBC…

Sorry this update has taken so long. I had to think… I know, such a dangerous activity that is: thinking… After Thanksgiving it my life was kind of filled up with mass panicked studying for college finals, and then stuff happened… but now I'm back (yay) and so excited to be continuing on with this story.

Okay so the general consensus I am getting from my latest reviews is that people would like my chapters to be a bit longer if possible… (which I thought was kinda funny since the last chapter, not including the disclaimer, review responses and all of that stuff, was over two pages long on my computer and I usually consider anything over a page/1000 words a good sized chapter, but hey to each their own…). Therefore I will make an attempt to lengthen my chapters some. I'm not promising anything but I will try. I also want to quickly say that I have just started college again and there's a whole bunch of readings and writings and other assignments to do so I will not be updating as often but I will try to write when I have the time. Oh and sorry I didn't do the 'deep talks' in this chapter, but this idea kinda came to me and I couldn't resist but write it up… really hope you liked it. And please, please take a moment to review. I really appreciate it.

Ooooooo something just came to my attention that makes me a bit irritated. **For all my fanfiction readers I have a question for you: When you read my writings is the text centered?** I just looked at my fanfic's without going through my account for the first time and found that in all the chapters the text had been centered! Has this always been true? Because if it has, I never knew about it. Whenever I uploaded a chapter through my account and previewed the text was ALWAYS (and still is) aligned to the left. I know this might seem like a trivial thing, but when I started writing I tried to develop a format for my chapters that was easy to read. I just remembered from reading other peoples fanfics that things like chapters that were not chopped up and were just one huge block of writings were really hard to read and I wanted to make mine as easy-on-the-eyes as I could. Centered text was another thing that bugged me a bit and I'm kinda mad that somewhere between my account and the version shown to you it could have been switched… I also could swear that once in a while I will loose a few words when I upload a chapter… It's kinda aggravating… please forgive these little 'mistakes' and please tell me if the chapters really are centered and if they have always been that way.

A great big, humongous **THANK YOU** going out to all my reviewer! I got so many reviews the last chapter… just thank you so much and please keep it up. It's what keeps this fanfic afloat. Oh and… I absolutely love it!

**JasonTKD****:** I'm curious… how did Jameson find out Peter's identity in the main comic book? Also which comic book set are you talking about? Sorry I'm just being nosy but I would really like to know…

To sweet **anonymous **(and anyone else interested): I never quit writing! Never ever, ever **EVER**!!! The day I quit writing is the day they drag me away in a pine box and bury in the ground (metaphorically speaking of course… I'm actually starting to become partial to the idea of cremation lately :P). I will say finals kind of put a cramp in my writings for awhile and when winter break started… I kinda felt the need to pay at least a little attention to my other four fanfics (which I have sadly not have had time to work with for quite a long while). Plus I needed a little break to step back and look at 'ID' just to make sure I was certain were I was going… That's the one problem with writing fanfics chapter by chapter: sometimes if you're not sure where you're going with your story (or where you've been for that matter) you can end up accidentally 'putting your foot in your mouth' so to speak… AKA: write yourself into contradicting yourself… messy business that… Oh and I've been sorting through songs and notes. Oh lord I've got so many notes in so many genres on everything from paper napkins to index cards to actual paper. If I could somehow write up ever idea I currently have for fanfics (these are ones that aren't officially up mind you) I swear I would have thousands of pages… Oh and another eensy weensy problem I have is that I have found my prime writing time is actually between midnight and 2 or 3 in the morning. As you may have guessed those times are not very… compatible with college life, especially when you have classes at 8 in the morning (and that doesn't include the time to get to class…)… evil scheduling people… GRRRRRRR… Anyway I do promise, from the bottom of my heart, that this fanfiction will be finished someday… don't know when but someday… that is unless the pine box thing happens much earlier then scheduled and personally I really don't look forward to meeting Death very soon… although you never know… he/she/it may be and interesting 'person' to talk to (Sorry… I just happen to be a bit of a Terry Pratchett fan and Death is one of my favorite characters… in fact he is quite an interesting one to read about…). Okay sorry… I am rambling really weirdly today so I think I'm going to leave it at that (if you haven't guessed yet it is really late at night where I'm from, or rather very early in the morning while I'm writing this last part) I wish to thank you greatly for you review and I hope I haven't scared you too much with my weirdness. Glad that you are enjoying my little Spidy fun and I really do hope to hear from you again…

P.S. Chapter title: "Simple and Clean… Almost" inspired by the song "Simple and Clean" from the video game Kingdom Hearts sung by Utada Hikaru (both English and Japanese versions are good)


	16. Chapter 16: The Reason

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from Spiderman. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a Spidy fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

Author Note: I would like to just quickly mention that I haven't seen/read a lot of spidy stuff recently… like in the past year… two years… something like that… anyway if I totally mess something up here, I'm really sorry… But I don't think I did… I hope I didn't… anyway I hope you enjoy…

Separate Note: To any Spidy lovers I would really recommend the novel **"Spider-man: The Darkest Hours" by Jim Butcher**. I think it is really excellent. Quite possible one of my favorite Spidy stories. Plus I simply love the way Butcher writes :)

**Chapter 16:** The Reason

Finally everyone was gather together in the kitchen. Robby pulled the pans of food out from the oven where he had put them to keep them warm and after that breakfast was like a mini buffet.

Peter and MJ were still a bit bashful around each other, lightly blushing every time their eyes met, but the promise of food had them both up and in line together.

At the table, Jameson tried to engage Peter into a conversation and Peter tried to accommodate, but found talking through a mouthful of eggs can be difficult.

"Oh Jameson," Robbie said joining the others at the table with his own plate of food. "Let the boy eat in peace."

The editor grumbled something under his breath and stabbed a sausage with his fork, but didn't push any further.

"Sorry." Peter murmured sheepishly, but really not that 'sorrily' for he was _hungry_. Really hungry. Truthfully he hadn't noticed how hungry he was until he had finally left the bedroom. Then the smells of food had hit his senses and he all but drooled at the thought.

A bit later after the eating was mostly done and Peter had finished his sixth plate, the talks finally began. It took a moment for Jameson to get his thoughts together. Simply put the editor couldn't remember a time he had seen so much food disappear into one person outside an eating contest and especially into such a skinny, kind of 'small' person at that. Really Peter couldn't have been much taller then five-two or three. Not exactly what you would have expected from someone who had 'extra' abilities. Although, from what he had seen, Jamison had to admit the boy did have more muscles on him then the old newshound had expected to see such a lean frame. Really watching Peter these past few hours, the boy seemed like just a normal teenager. _Well maybe not _totally_ 'normal,'_ the editor reflected thinking of the time Peter had jumped out of the window. _But also definitely not what I was expecting for the person behind the mask. _

Jameson decided to delve right into the many issues that surrounded the Spiderman persona. First of all of which was Peter's age.

"Peter," the editor said seriously, catching the teenagers attention. "You're too young to be doing this." Jameson gave a wave of his hand as if it explained everything and even though his words were vague, everyone knew what he was talking about, but the newsman wasn't done yet. "You should be enjoying your final years of childhood like a proper teenager not gallivanting around rooftops doing this _'Spiderman'_ thing."

"Mmmm," Peter mumbled mildly, nibbling on his last piece of bacon, his tone neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Jameson's statement.

Jameson gave the boy a hard look from where he sat. "You don't seem to surprise by my little speech." _And I spent so much time trying to figure out what to say,_ the editor's mind added silently to himself.

"Oh sorry…" Peter said looking up. "It's just… that's what DareDevil keeps telling me. And Fury. And a bunch of other people…" The teenager sighed before looking back up into Jameson's eyes. "The whole 'you're a kid/live your life' speech kinda lost its effect about two years ago."

Jameson was stunned once again. He thought he would have gotten used to it by now, but Peter was really starting to become one surprise after another. What did these so called 'super peoples' do on there off time? Sit around and talk? It was still hard for the editor to think of any of them having 'normal lives' but Peter was obviously an example. Going to school. Having a job. Doing _homework_. But even though he was surprised, Jameson wouldn't be deterred from what he was saying. "Peter this really is not life for a kid your age.

"Hey," Peter said just a bit defensively. "Technically I can drive now… if I had a car… but that's not the point. The point is that in a few more years I'll legally be an adult."

"Which is exactly why you should – "

"Jameson…" the boy who was Spiderman sighed, his head resting on a hand. "Let me ask you a simple question: if not me then who? Who else would be able to do or simply would do the things I am doing? Despite what you obviously think from your editorials and what you say, there is no glory in this… Okay maybe a little, but more often then not I get shot at rather then applauded." Jameson winced at that and he felt Robbie beside him also tense at the words. It bothered both the men immensely to think of a kid getting shot at and even more so when it was someone they knew. Peter saw the subtle change come over the two men and felt a bit sorry, but bluntly he was too tired to sugarcoat what he was saying. Now that the teenager had been fed, there was nothing he would have liked better then to go curl up somewhere and fall asleep again, but he knew he couldn't. Not yet anyways. It simply wouldn't have been fair. _Well,_ he thought a little drearily, _they wanted the truth and now they're going to get it. Raw and unadulterated from the horses mouth. _Peter mentally sighed and sat a bit straighter, trying not to outwardly give away how exhausted he really was.

"I know you were expecting some demented psychopath behind the mask probably with some sort tortured childhood with an abusive mother and a drunk father or something…" Peter shrugged. "Sorry, but all you got was me…"

Silence suffused the room as everyone thought about what had just been said. There was much insight in Peter's words… and maybe a little more truth then even Jameson wanted to admit to himself.

"So exactly why do you… do what you do?" The editor finally asked.

Peter looked away thinking. "It's… complicated." He said after awhile. "It's… Oh boy how do I explain this without sounding totally crazy?" Peter chewed his lip as he mused over the problem. "It's because I can… I know that sound lame," the teenager added quickly. "But knowing I can do something that could ultimately save someone else's life makes me feel responsible to or, I guess you could even say, for them… if that makes any sense at all." Peter rubbed his brow trying to figure out the best way to explain everything.

"It – I think it at least partially comes from something my uncle told me before he died. He said that 'with great power comes great responsibility' and I believe that. I know it sounds crazy but think of it like this: if someone is choking to death and you know the Heimlichmaneuver and you also know no one else in the crowd does, would you stand there and do nothing? I have the ability-the power to save people no one else can and so I do…Boy now I just sound conceded." Peter looked up at his audience and give then maybe just a bit of a tired smile. "You know there isn't really an ideal way to explain all this per say."

Even Robbie was speechless at that and he was the one mostly on the 'for Spidy' side of the issue, but what Peter had said about his reasons… That was pretty spectacular. And, to top it all off, it even had pretty sound logic behind it… Really if you thought about it in those simpler terms it made practically perfect sense.

"Of course there are some other reasons," Peter continued to say after a moment of thought. "But I'm afraid those are private. Lets just leave it at I'm sick of seeing people die." It was obvious to all present the kid was avoiding the topic of his family. Which under the circumstances was understandable.

"So have you ever killed anyone?" The words were out of Jamison's mouth before the editor really realized what he was saying. He could have kicked himself for entering into such a delicate topic with such callousness, but what was done was done. Now he just held his breath, dreading what the answer might be.

Peter frowned at the editor, his eyes cold. "That's a dark question. Are you sure you really want to know?"

The teenager looked intense then, scary. Jameson felt a little bubble of fear rise in him, but he wouldn't back down. It wasn't so much that Peter's physical appearance had changed, the editor realized, but rather the feel in the air around him had. The teenager felt powerful… maybe even dangerous, but then the moment past and Peter was just a teenager again.

"No," the kid said looking away from the editor and down at his plate. "I've never killed."

There was silence in the room for a while then Peter spoke again. "I almost have," he said in a soft voice barely above a whisper and then he looked up, his hazel eyes directly meeting Jameson's own. "And the thought of it scares the shit out of me."

The words forceful and at that moment the kids eyes were so filled with a fear that Jamison couldn't imagine all that they had seen.

Peter suddenly slouched back in his chair, breaking eye contact with the editor. He couldn't believe he was going to tell them all this… Even M.J. didn't know some of this stuff, but well… here it goes. "You let go…" he started in an overly calm voice, struggling to find the right word to describe what he was trying to say. "You go too far and… bad stuff start to happen. I've heard of it happening before. Someone with… powers take things too far and then they start to think they have the power to take things into their own hands. And-and things happen and suddenly they find themselves with blood on their hands and hitting for the other team." Halfway through the speech Peter had to put his hands under the table so the others couldn't see they where shaking slightly. _Why am I telling them all this?_ he wondered staring at his trembling hands. _Maybe_, he decided, _maybe it's because I need to tell someone. Soon... just to have someone else_ know...

A gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder and Peter started in surprise. He looked up to find MJ standing beside him, looking down at him with kind understanding. He smiled up at her and closed his eyes, resting a hand over her's.

He sighed and looked back at the two news hound on the other side of the table. They were both looking at him in a strange way. It was a look that he had never before seen on either of their faces and he didn't really know what to make of it, _but_, he reasoned, _if anything I've already dug my grave. Anything else I say can't hurt more then it already has._

"It's a very fine line to walk, between what's right and wrong, at least in this situation. There is no real black and white, just a bunch of grey that come in various shades of light and dark. Really you have to have some principles to stay sane doing it. One of the most common rules I find that people use is what I think of as the 'no kill rule' which basically boils down to no killing _ever_." Peter grew quite then as dark memories of the past resurfaced. "I-I have seen people die before. One was an enemy. He was killed violently, really upclose and personal and… and the sight of it almost destroyed me…" He looked up tiredly at the two sets of eyes that were still staring at him. "It's so different from what people see in movies and whatnot and… I find it scary that some would… rejoice in another's death…" A sad kind of look crossed Peter's face. "Bet they wouldn't think the same way if they where there in person… Sorry," he said suddenly, a faint smile spread upon his lips as if he was trying to reassure his audience who seemed to be in shock. "This is getting depressing. Would you mind if we changed the subject?"

TBC…

Well here we are in the first chapter of 'the talks.' I REALLY hope I didn't totally mess up… I can't remember the last time I was so anxious about the upload of a chapter. Eeek… I really need to apologies for how long it's been since my last chapter. I've been having computer troubles and after that busy school troubles… so yah… Please review. I really would like to see what people think… but please no flames… if you have criticism that's fine but a review that simply says something like "I hate it" isn't very helpful. Lastly thanks a bunch for sticking this out with me and I really, really hope you enjoyed. I would really like to write some more today but I really need to start in on my homework… ugh…

**Battosailover5**: Um I really don't know what you mean by "spice the story up a bit…" sorry if the story's falling short of your expectations but I'm doing the best I can…

**CGreene:** Sorry the weird 3 link thingy was my fault. I kept getting cold feet when uploading the chapter because I was doing a lot of the writing at school between classes so I was crunched for time and every time I uploaded I ended up taking it down again thinking I could make the chapter better later that afternoon/night if I spent some more quality time with it… sorry… my bad… I'll try really hard not to do it again… and with the cliff hangers… really I don't know any other way to write… plus I want to keep you guys coming back for more you know? I just love having you guys around. I don't want to loose you;)

**Brightfire15:** I am so happy that you are enjoying my writings… I really hope you will continue to do so… Please please… I really hope I didn't mess up… sigh… Oh and thank you so much for the non-centered news. That info really helps me out :)

**JasonTKD:** Hummm that identity revelation sounds pretty anti-climatic… or at least anti-something… wonder why the creators decided to do it that way… Thanks for the info though… I really appreciate it :) I'm afraid I don't know One More Day… really I don't know a lot of Spidy stuff… there's just so much out there and so little time… sigh…

**HiddenFanGirl:** Thanks for the answer. I really appreciate the feedback. I'm also really happy that you enjoyed my last chapter so much… things are going to get a little serious as seen in this chapter and probably a couple more but I really hope you will still enjoy.

**Kitty-chan and Nya-chan:** Sorry it's been so long darling. I know it's been more then a month since your last review but I still hope you will enjoy this…

**Kaitsu Himaru:** Thanks for your kind words. Yah… I loved the clothes scene too… Really I couldn't resist putting it in… :)

**SmileyDJingles:** *Chuckles* I'm glad I could make someone happy:) Your review really made my day.

**Werewolf5:** Hey I'm so happy to see a new reviewer! Glad to have you on board. Yah the whole short chapter thing… I know… bad me… I'm currently trying to extend my chapter at least a bit longer then they used to be. We'll see how that goes. Oh and yes Ne Yo did a song called Miss Independent, but Kelly Clarkson did one two and they are totally different song. Both are really good though. It took me awhile to figure out which one I wanted to use as my chapter title because I like then both. I ended up going with Clarkson's because she's a she and MJ's a she and so yah… that was my reasoning. If you want to it's really easy to look the songs up on youtube and give them a quick listen. And thank you so much by catching my 'defiantly's' I really appreciate it. I will be the first to say my spelling and grammar is not the best but I do try… I bet though, if there are more then one 'defiantly's' around, my computer might be automatically changing them… hummm… them again I might just be an awful speller… yah that's more likely. Anyway thanks again. I'm afraid I don't have time to go back and edit old chapters right now but when the time comes along I will definitely keep that in mind:)

P.S. Chapter title: "The Reason" by Hoobastank (funky name that is… Hoobastank…rolls off the tongue in very… interesting ways… Hoooooooobastank…)


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